How To Choose a Pest Control Company
When hiring a pest control company, you want to find the right one to meet your needs. You might take into consideration a company's qualifications, methods, years of experience, customer reviews, and price of services.
Below, we dive into detail on each factor.
Does the company have a valid license and permits to perform pest control?
While the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the minimum competency standards for pesticide applicators, licensure is taken care of at the state level. All pesticide applicators (and those who supervise them) in Ohio must be licensed by all the necessary state regulatory agencies.
Is the company a member of any professional organizations?
An optional certification that could be worth looking for is the GreenPro Service Certification. In order to earn this certification, a pest control company must both demonstrate that its practices are more eco-friendly and maintain certain technician training standards. Companies can also earn other certifications from trade organizations like QualityPro to further support their work.
Pest control companies can also join various professional organizations. Holding membership in organizations such as the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) or state-level organizations is not mandatory, but helps verify a company's reputability. Membership in the NPMA gives companies access to education, resources, and a network of pest professionals with whom to discuss methods and practices.
Professional Experience and Specialties
Looking at a pest control company's website can tell you how many years it has been in business and what kind of pests it specializes in exterminating. Local reviews can also give you some insight into a company's experience dealing with specific pests. If you can't find this information online, you can try calling the company directly.
Reviews and Recommendations
You can look at a company's rating and reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), explore social media and local review sites to learn what other people are saying, or verify its license standing via the Ohio licensing board.
Cost of Services and Guarantees
Things like the size of your house, your location, the type of pest being treated, and other factors can all affect the price of pest control.
You can learn whether a company provides free on-site estimates (to determine if it fits in your budget), as well as what sort of guarantees it offers. Often, a company will guarantee that if it does not eliminate your pest problem, it will continue treatment until it does.
Safety and Treatment Methods
It's important to consider safety when choosing a pest control expert. You might also prefer a provider who employs more natural, environmentally friendly pest control services.
Safety
Your pest control expert should be able to discuss the safety of any pesticides that they're going to use. They should be able to clarify whether the pesticides are low toxicity or non-toxic, and if not what safety precautions will be used to protect your family, your pets, and you. All pesticides that pose more than a minimum risk are required to be registered with the EPA.
Treatment Methods
Many companies are now trialing options for more environmentally friendly treatment methods before employing harsh pesticides.
One popular way of making pest control safer and greener is Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The steps of IPM are as follows:
- Identify the source of the pest problem and determine whether immediate action is required.
- Determine the best and safest course of action.
- Manage the pest problem using a combination of physical, biological, mechanical, and cultural controls.
- Use chemical controls only when required, and always with other controls for effective long-term pest management.
- Observe the results and continue with additional pest control as needed.
